Cutter mill



Dec. 31, 1935. v, MATEJQK 2,026,426

CUTTER MILL Filed July 31, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 31, 1935.

v. MATEJCIK 2,026,426 CUTTER MILL Filed July 31, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2v. MATEJCIK 2,026,426

CUTTER MILL Filed July 31, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet s Dec. 31, 1935.

Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE CUTTER MILL VincentMatejcik, Canton, Ohio, assignor to Blizzard Manufacturing Company,Canton, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application July 31, 1930, Serial No. 472,038

5 Claims. (01. 83-11) without discomfort or hazard to the operator.

An improved construction of combined roughage cutter and cutter orgrinder mill in which roughage ,and/or grain may be cut and/or ground toa selected size of fineness by passing the same into a chamber andsubjecting it to the grinding action of centrifugal comminuting andblast producing impelling means cooperating with a foraminated plate orscreen through which the ground material passes into an exhaust passageafter having been reduced to the desired size of fineness, is shown inthe Keith Patent No. 1,621,510, dated March 22, 1927.

In prior cutter mill construction the foraminated plate or screen, whichdetermines the size of fineness of material delivered from the mill,cannot be changed when the mill is operating and cannot be quickly oreasily changed'when the mill is shut down, for replacing the foraminatedplate or screen with another having either larger or smaller openingsfor delivering either coarser or finer material from the mill.

Moreover, prior cutter mill construction requires the use of bolts orother fastening means for securing the fora'minated plate or screen inposition to form a wall of the fan chamber.

One of the objects of the present improvements is to provide a cuttermill construction in which foraminated plates or screens provided withopenings of different sizes may be readily, quickly and easily changedor replaced, one for another, without slowing down or stopping theoperation of the centrifugal 'impelling means.

It is a further object of the present improvements to provide a screenconstruction which does not require the use of bolts or other positivefastening means to hold the screen in place during operation of themill.

In feeding roughage into a cutter or grinder mill for reducing the sameto finely divided sizes, dust containing minute particles of driedroughage is raised by the feed rolls adjacent the receiving opening ofthe mill casing, which contaminates the atmosphere adjacent to andsurrounding the operating mill. This dust causes extreme irritation tothe eyes, earanose, throat and lungs of the operators or other personswho are in close proximity to the operating mill.

And finally, it is in an object of the present improvements to provide ahood,. litter box and conveyor duct construction for the mill which willcollect the dust raised by the feed rolls, and

the particles of litter dropping from the feed rolls for conveying thesame to the fanchamher and exhaust passage, for preventing contaminationof the atmosphere surrounding the mill, and for preventing'irritation ofand physical injuries to body parts of the operator or other in detail,which may be stated in general terms as including in a material reducingdevice, a

casing having openings formed in its side walls for receiving materialto be reduced and having a peripheral outer wall, an endwise replaceableforaminous peripheral screen or plate forming with said outer wall anarcuate exhaust passage for delivering reduced nlaterial, centrifugalcomminuting and blast producing im-r pelling means in the casingrotating in the direction of discharge for reducing the material byimpact and driving a blast of ai carrying comminuted material throughthe peripheral screen and the arcuate exhaust passage; and meansenclosing certain air spaces adjacent one of said material receivingopenings communicating with another opening in one of the side walls forconveying dust and litter produced by operation of the device back tothe casing by the suction created at said other opening by thecentrifugal blast producing means.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of animproved cutter mill; Fig. 2 is an end elevation, with certain parts insection, of the improved cutter mill;

Fig. 3 is a section through the cutter ing taken on. the line 3-3,, Fig.4;

Fig. 3a. is a fragmentary section through the cutter mill casing showingthe same adapted for operating as a fodder cutter; I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through the cutter mill casingtaken on the line 4--4 Fig. 2, parts of the feed mechanism being shownin elevation;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan eleiation of the the direction of mill cas-Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of the cutter mill casing partsshown in Fig. located in normal position;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan sectional view of the cutter mill casingtaken on the line 97-9, Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a section taken on the line l8l8, Fig. 9, located in normalposition;

Fig. 11 isa fragmentary side elevation of the cutter mill casing partsshown in Fig. 9 located in normal position;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of a replaceableforaminous screen having openings of one size;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary side elevation of the screen shown in Fig. 12;I

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of a replaceableforaminous screen having openings of another size; and

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary elevation of the screen shown in Fig. 14.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The improved cutter mill is shown generally in Fig. 1 and includes theframework l6, which is mounted in a well known manner on suitable axlesand wheels, one axle I1, and wheels [8 therefor being shown. Theframework 1 6 supports the cutter mill mechanism which may include aroughage conveyor I9, driven by the roller 28, and moving in thedirection of the arrow shown in Fig. 4.

A lower feed roller2l and upper feed roller 22 are journaled in a wellknown manner in the feed mechanism side plates 23 and 23' and are drivenby suitable driving mechanism (not shown) contained within the drivemechanism gear case 24.

The cutter mill housing or casing generally indicated at 25, preferablyincludes side plates 26 and 21, mounted by suitable brackets 28 on theaxle l1 and framework J6. A cutter mill drive shaft 29 is journaled inbearings 38, 3| and 32 and has fastened thereon a suitable drive pulley33 which may be rotated in any well known manner for rotating the driveshaft 29 in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 3.

A disk plate: 34 secured to the drive shaft 29 is located thereonintermediate the side plates 26 and 21. A larger cutter blade mountingdisk plate 35 is carried by the disk plate 34 and mounts a plurality ofsets of hammers 36, journaled at 31, on the brackets 38 and 39 carriedby the mounting plate 35.

A plurality of knives 48 are mounted at 4| on the mounting plate 35 andcooperate with the shear plate 42 in a manner which will be laterdescribed.

Each side plate 26 and 21 has an upper lug 43 and a lower lug 44projecting integrally outwardly therefrom as best shown in Figs. 2, 8and 11, to which are bolted, at 45 and 46, the upper angled spacer bar41, and lower angled spacer bar 48, which maintain the side plates 26and 21 in the desired spaced relation.

A cylindrically shaped plate 49, presenting a smooth inner surface andprovided with edge grooves 58 which engage the semi-hexagonally shapedperipheral edges 5| of the side plates 26 and 21, is provided at its endportions with an upper angled clamp bar 52, and a lower angled clamp bar53, which are bolted at 54 and 55 to the upper and lowerspacer bars 41and 48, respectively. Sealing gaskets 56 and 51 are preferablyinterposed between the brackets 41 and 52, and 48 and 53, respectively.7 Each side plate 26 and21 is provided with an annular groove or track58, on its inner surface adjacent that portion of its peripheral edgeop- 5 posite the location of the cylindrically shaped plate 49 andextending from the clamp bar 52 downward and around to the clamp bar 53.The

grooves 58 form a guideway and track for receiving and guiding the edgesof a foraminated 1 plate or screen 59, which may be endwise insertedinto the edge tracks through the elon- '38 and 39 operate as fan bladesfor inducing an air blast therein upon rotation of the shaft 28.

A preferably crescent shaped sheet metal housing 6| is bolted or rivetedto the side plates 26 and 21, and to the spacer bars 41 and 48, at 62,and surrounds the foraminated plate 58, to form an exhaust chamber B,communicating with the fan chamber A through the apertures or openingsin the foraminated plate or screen 58.

The sheet metal housing 6| which forms the exhaust chamber B terminatesin a tangential tubular discharge outlet 63which is connected with apipe 64 which leads to any suitable storage .bin or to an air separator65 when the device is operating as a cutter mill..

The foraminated plate 58 may be made from a wire mesh screen havingopenings of the size shown in Figs. 5, 9 and 12, or may be a wire meshscreen 59' having openings of a finer size or mesh such as shown in Fig.14. Any number of screens having openings of different sizes eitherlarger or smaller than those shown in Figs. 12 and 14 may be suppliedwith each cutter mill.

Each screen 59 or 59' preferably has an angled bracket 66 and a crossbar 66' secured to its end to form a wedge stop and seal, for engagementwith the walls 61 and 68 forming the slotted opening 68 in the clamp bar52, when the foraminated plate 59 has been introduced through .5 theopening 68, along the track 56 and to the position shown in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings.

The angled bracket 66 also provides means which may be grasped by thecutter mm operator for withdrawing the foraminated plate through theopening 68, as indicated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 3, so that the samemay be replaced by another plate having openings therein of a differentsize of fineness or coarseness without stopping the operation of themill.

The side plate 21 is provided with an opening 69 adjacent the feed rolls2| and 22, the path of the knives carried by the plate 36, and the shearplate 42, through which roughage may be fed into the fan chamber A ofthe cutter mill casing 25.

The side plate 26 is provided with a substantially centrally located airintake opening 18 which is partly enclosed by the suction box 1| 70 andwhich communicates through a pipe 12 with a litter box or hopper 13whose open mouth 14 is located directly under the feed roll 21 andconveyor drive roll 28. A pipe 15 also leads from the suction box 1| toa dust hood 16 located above the upper feed roll 22 and feed mechanismside plates 23 and 23.

A grain hopper 11, provided with a valve 18, also communicates at 19with the suction box II for a purpose which will be hereinafterdescribed. The portion of the air intake opening l0 provided in the sideplate 26 which is not enclosed by the suction box II is indicated at 10'in Figs. -2 and 4 of the drawings, and forms a direct entrance for airto be sucked into the fan chamber A.

Let it be assumed that the parts are assembled as shown and described,that the disks 34 and 35 with the attached knives 40, hammer bars 36 andfan blades 38' and 39' are rotated at the proper speed in the directionof the arrow shown in Fig. 3, and that roughage is fed through the feedopening 69 by the feed conveyor 9 and feed rolls 2| and 22.

The knives l0 cooperating with the shear plate 42 cut the roughage as itenters the feed opening 69 over the shear plate 42, and the cut roughageis thrown outward in the fan chamber A by the blast produced by thecentrifugal impelling means or fan blades. The material is impinged andreduced by the hammer bars 36 until its size has been reduced to smallparticles. The blast then carries these small particles through theopenings in the foraminated plate,-

the material is impinged and reduced by the hammer bars 36 until itssize has been reduced to particles sufficiently small enough to passthrough the openings in the foraminated plate and into the exhaustchamber B, where upon the blast created by the fan and the entrainedparticles pass through the pipe 64 and to any desired place of storageor to the air separator 65.

oftentimes it may be desired to grind balanced mixtures of roughage andgrain which may be accomplished by coincidentally feeding roughage tothe fan chamber A through the opening 69 in the side plate 21, and grainto the fan chamber A through the opening H1 in the side plate 26. Theamounts of grain and roughage fed to the fan chamber may be controlledby the operator to obtain any desired resulting balanced mixture ofcomminuted material.

It may be frequently desired to change the degree of fineness to whichthe reduced roughage and/or grain is to be ground, and this is readilyand quickly accomplished by withdrawing the foraminated plate 59 fromits track or guideways 58 without stopping the rotation of thecentrifugal blast producing impelling means, and

' introducing another foraminated plate having are required for holdingthe foraminated plate in place, the only forces acting upon the sametending to draw it more tightly to its operative position.

The ,suction created in the suction box 1| by operation of the blastproducing centrifugal impelling means creates a suction in the pipes 125 and 15, leading respectively to the litter box hopper.'|3 and the dusthood 16. When certain types of roughage are fed to the fan chamber A, aninjurious dust is raised at and adjacent the feed rolls 2| and 22 whichis sucked into the 10 dust hood I6 enclosing an air space above the feedrolls. This dust then passes into the fan chamber through the suctionbox without any injurious effects upon the operator.

Likewise any litter which may drop from the 15 roughage at and adjacentthe feed roll 2| is caught in the litter box 13, drawn to the suctionchamber 1|, and introduced into the fan chamber A, thus avoiding a wasteof material being not only sufllcient to carry out all of the purposesdescribed, but is' also suflicient to keep the open- 30 ings in theforaminated plate 59, open at all times by the action of the entrainedparticles of reduced material driven through the openings by the blast.The capacity of the cutter mill is therefore always constant for anygiven material 35 being reduced, for any given speed of rotation of theshaft 29, and for a selected foraminated plate having certain sizedopenings.

Moreover, the cutter mill grinds and delivers reduced material throughthe delivery pipe 64 40 without the use of any additional blower fansplaced in the delivery line leading from the exhaust chamber B.

I claim:

1. In a material reducing device, a casing in- 45 eluding side walls,spacer bars connected to the side walls, an imperforate plate peripheralwall portion having clamping bars at its ends connected to the spacerbars, the side walls being provided with, arcuate guideways, there beingan 50 opening formed in one of the clamping bars com municating with thearcuate guidewayaa foraminous screen plate peripheral wall portionentered through the opening and along the arcuate guideways to completethe formation of 55 the casing, centrifugal comminuting and blastproducing impelling means rotating in the chamber for reducing by impactmaterial introduced therein, and means on one end of the foraminousplate for sealing the opening when the forami- 60 nous plate is inposition completing the formation of the casing.

2. In a material reducing device, a casing having material receivingopenings formed in opposite side walls thereof, centrifugal comminutingo5 ing openings formed in its side walls for receivingmaterial to bereduced and having a ioraminated peripheral outer wall, there being anexhaust passage communicating with the ioraminated wall, means forfeeding material to the casing through one of the receiving openings, asuction box enclosing another material receiving opening, meansenclosing an air space above the first mentioned material receivingopening and communicating with the suction box, and centrifugalcomminuting and blast producing impelling means in the casing forreducing material by impact, creating a suction in the suction box andthe means communicating therewith, and driving a blast of air carryingcomminuted material through the i'oraminated wall and exhaust passage.

4. In a material reducing device, a casing having openings formed in itsside walls for receiving material to be reduced and having a Ioraminatedperipheral outer wall, there being an exhaust passage communicating withthe ioraminated wall, means for feeding material to the casing throughone of the receiving openings, a suction box enclosing another materialreceiving opening, means enclosing an air space adjacent one of thematerial receiving openings communicating with the suction box, a grainhopper communicating with the suction box, and centrifugal comminutingand blast producing impelling means in the casing for reducing materialby impact, creating a suction in the suction box and'the means and grainhopper communicating therewith, and driving a blast of air carryingcomminuted material through the foraminated wall and exhaust passage.

5. In a material reducing device, a casing having openings formed in itsside walls for receiv- 10 ing material to be reduced and having aperipheral outer wall, a foraminous peripheral screen forming with theouter wall an arcuate exhaust passage for delivering reduced material,centritugal comminuting and blast producing im-1'5 pelling means in thecasing rotating in the direction of discharge for reducing the materialby impact and driving a blast 01' air can'ying comminuted materialthrough the peripheral screen and the arcuate exhaust passage, and meansengo closing an air space above one of the material receiving openingsand communicating with another material receiving opening for conveyingdust produced by operation of the device back to the casing by thesuction created at the last mentioned opening by the centrifugal blastproducing means. VINCENT MATEJCIK.

